Saffron leaders defend rape accused Chinmayanand

Saffron leaders virtually gave a clean chit to former union minister and senior BJP leader Swami Chinmayanand, who had been accused of ''sexually exploiting'' a law student and said that some girls acted as 'vishkanya' (use of girls as assassins against powerful enemies in ancient India).

Chinmayanand, according to the sources, faced arrest after the law student recorded her statement in the court in Shahajahanpur, about 175 kilometres from here, on Monday.

The seer complained of chest pain and uneasiness and was examined by the doctors on Monday night. Police sources said that he could be arrested.

All India Hindu Mahasabha patron Swami Om and another saffron leader Mukesh Jain triggered a huge controversy after they alleged that the saints were being ''trapped'' by the 'vishkanyas', especially those hailing from Shahajahanpur.

Incidentally, it was also a girl from Shahajahanpur, who had accused Asaram Bapu of raping her. Asaram was currently lodged in jail.

Hundreds of people from various social organisations took out processions in Shahajahanpur town in protest against the saffron leaders' remarks and demanded that they be arrested.

Swami Om and Jain later clarified that their remarks referred only for the girls, who complained against Asaram and Chinmayanand.

The student, who had posted a video on the social media alleging her ''sexual exploitation'', had also accused the district officials in Shahajahanpur of threatening her parents for daring to lodge a complaint against Chinmayanand.

She had lodged a rape complaint against the seer in Delhi as the UP police had refused to register the same.

She had given over 40 videos to the police to substantiate her charges against Chinmayanand, who was also the director of the law college, where she studied.

The Swami, however, has rejected the allegations and claimed that he had received an anonymous phone call demanding rs. five crore extortion. He had also alleged in the complaint that the caller had threatened to release an ''obscene video''.